Lighting a calm bedroom: our three-layer rule

Good bedroom lighting works like a dimmer you never have to touch. We plan every room with three layers.

Layer one: soft ambient light

A diffused pendant — paper, linen or opal glass — lifts the whole room without hard shadows. Choose a warm 2700K bulb.

Layer two: task light at the bed

Table lamps on each nightstand, with the shade bottom roughly at shoulder height when you are sitting up in bed. Our Pebble lamp is exactly that height on a Kaya nightstand.

Layer three: a low glow

A small lamp on a dresser or a floor lamp in the corner, left on in the evening, makes the room feel calm long before you turn in.

“Light the room for the mood you want at ten at night, not ten in the morning.”

Ines, lighting designer at Pale Lantern